NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte highly appreciated the leadership qualities of Donald Trump, chosen by the 47th President of the United States, and his contribution to the Alliance. He expressed a desire to cooperate with the new US administration in the conditions of growing cooperation between Russia, North Korea, China and Iran.
Rutte performed at the opening of the 5th summit of the European political community (EPK) in Budapest.
He once again congratulated Donald Trump, chosen by the 47th US President, and said that Trump had achieved great success and he hopes for cooperation with him in the new period.
The Secretary General repeated that the purpose of the NATO countries to increase defense costs above 2 % of the gross domestic product (GDP) became possible thanks to the support of Trump and this amount must be increased.
“The US people chose it. He is the president. I interacted very well with him for 4 years. He speaks very clearly about his plans. He understands that we need to work together to achieve a common position, and I think, That we can do it. ” Rutte said that if Russia wins in Ukraine, it will become a threat not only for Europe, but also for the USA.
Having stated that it is important for him to affect the Summit of the EPK about the transfer of the North Korean forces to Russia to combat Ukraine, Rutta said: “We are increasingly seeing that North Korea, Iran, China and, of course, Russia are acting together against Ukraine “.
Rutte emphasized that these countries threaten the United States, Europe and the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, which is NATO partners, and said that he intends to solve this problem at the summit.
“I look forward to the opportunity to meet with President Trump and discuss how we can collectively act in the face of this threat (from Russia, North Korea, China and Iran) and how we can ensure the safety and well -being of our part of the world”, – added the general secretary of NATO.
To the question “What does Donald Trump’s victory mean for Ukraine?”, The head of NATO answered with the following words:
“I think that for all of us this means that there is an experienced president who knows exactly what he wants. He will make him spend more on defense. He is right. He received what he wanted. I think, in the future Trump will make even more. “
– Crisis in Germany
Answering the question of his attitude to the government crisis in Germany, the Secretary General replied:
“I am sure that Germany will be able to pursue an independent foreign policy and fulfill its obligations in the field of defense.” Olaf Sholts is a strong leader. I know him very well, and I think that in the coming months Germany will be able to solve its problems. “